Cut-off machine and ferrule press



Jan. 22, 1935. G. c. BURD 1,988,716

- CUT-OFF MACHINE AND FERRULE PRESS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1929 4 sh t -s t 1 I N V EN TOR. 605/ 74 650/717 XMQW A TTORNEY Ja 22, 1935. G c, B m, 1,988,716

CUT OFF MACHINE AND FERRULE PRESS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 --l I I IN VEN TOR.

Goa/ 44m C 50/70 M KU $0M ATTORNEY Jan. 22, 1935. c BURD I 1,988,716

' CUT-OFF MACHINE AND FERRULE PRESS Original Filed 001:. 12, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR.

60/?M/4/V d'fiaka BY Wm A TTORNEY Jan. 22, 1935. G. c. BURD CUT-OFF MACHINE AND FERRULE PRESS Original Filed Oct. 12, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 22, 1935 CUT-OFF MACHINE AND FERRULE PRESS German 0. Bord, Adrian, Mich., assignor to American Cable Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 12, 1929, Serial No. 399,125. Divided and this application March 30, 1931, Serial No. 562,355

10 Claims.

This application is a division of my pending application, Ser. No. 399,125, filed October 12, 1929 now Patent #1364469.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting up and binding the ends of stranded wire structures.

An object of my invention is to provide a machine for cutting oif portions from a continuous length of stranded wire structure and applying ferrules to the severed ends so as to preserve the integrity of the structure at terminal points thereof.

While the machine is adapted to a wide variety of uses, it wil be found particularly useful in connection with flexible tubing used for Bowden wire casings. In certain structures, the casing is formed of longitudinal wire members separated by inner and outer losely-coiled wire helices. Hence, when the casing is out, the ends of the wires are apt to spring apart and the longitudinal members in particular are apt to become disarranged unless means are provided for retaining them in desired position.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide means which will temporarily hold the ends of the wires in proper relative position when the casing is cut and then to apply ferrules which will permanently bind the severed end.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for applying the ferrules simultaneously to both severed ends of the casing, and to this I employ a ferrule of double length, in the opposite ends of which the casing ends are inserted, after which the ferrule is transversely cu-t leaving a half on each severed end of the casing.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following description of a preferred embodiment and thereafter the novelty and scope of the invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of my ferrule applying machine,,the section being taken substantially on the line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the machine with a portion thereof cut away to reveal interior details;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective of a carriage supporting certain jaw members; 1 i.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the machine illustrating the relative position of the jaws when applying a ferrule to a stranded tubing or casing;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same;

Figs. 7 to 9 illustrate, successively, certain steps employed in applying the ferrule to the casing; and

Fig. 10 is a View of a piece of the casing with a ferrule applied thereon, certain parts being broken away and shown in section.

The main frame of the machine consists of a base plate 15 which may be supported on a table or on standards, not shown. Secured upon the base plate 15 near the forward edge thereof are two opposed brackets 16. These brackets serve to support a pair of slide rails 17 which run parallel to the forward edge of the plate 15. Mounted to slide on the rails 17 are two carriages 18. The carriages are respectively pivotally connected to the upper ends of two operating levers, and the latter are fulcrumed upon links 20 pivotally secured to a common bracket 21 mounted on the base plate 15. The levers 19 pass through slots in the plate 15, and the lower end of one of said levers is pivotally secured to a cylinder 22 in which operates a plunger. The stem 23 of the plunger is pivotally connected to the lower end of the opposite lever 19. Communioating with the cylinder 22 near opposite ends thereof are pipes 24 and 25 respectively, through which air under pressure may be admitted to the cylinder to operate the plunger. Thus, when air is admitted through pipe 24, the plunger will be forced out outwardly, spreading apart the lower ends of the arms 19 and forcing the carriages 18 toward each other. On the other hand, when air is admitted through pipe 25, the plunger will be moved in the opposite direction tending to spread the carriages apart. Suitable valve mechanism (not shown) is provided interconnecting the pipes 24 and 25, so that when air under pressure is admitted through one of the pipes the other pipe, will be open to exhaust and vice versa. The cylinder and plunger have a floating support on the levers and the fulcrums of the latter are also floating because of the links 20 and hence there will be no tendency to lift the carriages 18 off the rails as they are slid back and forth.

The carriages 18 are box-like structures and are adapted to support jaw bars movable transversely to the direction of the slide rails 17. As best shown in Fig. 4, each carriage has a removable plate 26 at one side. The upper edge of this plate is formed with a central notch 26a. to admit the work, there being a corresponding 'a counterweight 43 attached thereto.

notch in the opposite wall of each carriage in which is fitted a bushing 27. This bushing which is open at the top provides a seat to receive the work. Each carriage 18 houses two pairs of opposed jaw bars 28 and 29, respectively. The inner ends of the jaw bars are formed with semi-cylindrical recesses to receive jaw facings which are removably secured therein. The facings 30 of the inner pair of jaw bars 28 are of larger diameter than the facings 30a of the outer pair of jaw bars 29.

The inner pair of jaws in each carriage may be moved into and out of clamping position by means of a lever 31 which is fulcrumed to the outer end of the forward jaw bar of the .pair, while a link 32 connects the lever to the rear end of the opposing jaw bar. This link is offset so that it will pass under the carriage and the rails 17. It will be evident from inspection of Fig. 6 that when the lever 31 is drawn to a horizontal position, the jaw bars 28 will be moved inward into clamping position with a powerful toggle action and when the lever is swung downward the jaw bars will be moved apart. Similarly, the jaw bars 29 in each carriage are provided with an operating lever 33 fulcrumed at the forward end of the forward jaw bar 23 while a link 34 connects the lever 33 with the rear end of the opposing jaw bar 29. The levers 31 and 33 are laterally offset at their outer ends so that they will clear one another sufficiently to permit of being grasped by the operator.

Rising from the bed 15 to the rear of the rails 17, and preferably adjacent the left side of the frame plate, is a vertical column 35, consisting of an I-beam supported in suitable brackets 36. Mounted to slide vertically on this column is a carriage which, for convenience, may be called the cutter carriage as it carries a cutter wheel presently to be described. The carriages 18 will hereafter be referred to as the jaw carriages. The cutter carriage comprises a pair of angle bars 37 disposed horizontally on opposite sides of the I-beam, and a pair of slide plates 38 connecting the angle bars and bearing respectively against the front and rear flanges 38a of the I-beam. The slide plates are formed with lips which lap over the edges of the flanges, and serve as guides to prevent lateral tipping of the carriage.

Pivoted on a bracket 39 at the top of the column 35 is a sheave 40, and over this sheave passes a cable 41 secured at one end to a transverse pin 42 connecting the angle bars 37, while the other end of the cable passes down through a suitable opening in the bed plate 15, and has The latter serves to counter-balance the weight of the carriage. Depending from the forward end of each angle bar 37 is a journal box 44 fitted with ball bearings 45. Journaled in these bearings is a horizontal spindle 46 which carries pulley 47 at its outer or left hand end as viewed in Fig. 1. The pulley 47 is connected by a belt 48 to a driving pulley 49 located at the rear end of the cutter carriage. The latter pulley is keyed upon the armature or rotor shaft of an electric motor 50. The latter is suitably supported in hangers 51 depending from the angle bars 37. The spindle 46 carries at its opposite or right hand end a cutter wheel 52 which is located in'a plane midway between the jaw carriages 18. The cutter wheel is clamped between a pair of flange members 53 splined but is left open at the rear.

upon the spindle 46. To permit of accurately centering the cutter wheel between the carriages 18, a certain amount of adjustment is provided by clamping the flange members between nuts 55 threaded. upon the shaft 46.

Secured to the face of the journal box 44 on the side adjacent the cutter wheel is a retaining member 56. This is formed with vertical slide bearings 57 (see Fig. 3) through which pass a pair of vertical rods 58. These rods are fixed at their opposite ends in studs 59 which project from a housing or guard 60 that fits about the cutter wheel 52. The spindle 46 and a cap 44a of the journal box 44 pass through a slot 60a in the housing 60. Thus a certain amount of lost motion is provided between the housing and the spindle.

Secured to the rails 17 between the jaw carriages is a channel shaped member 62 which is transversely notched to clear the work. channel member is closed at its forward end, The housing 60 is provided with depending extension plates 63 adapted to enter the channel member 62 and fit snugly against the side walls thereof. These extensions are also transversely notched to clear the work. A handle 64 connects the forward ends of the angle bars 37 and provides means by which the cutter carriage may be lowered and raised to bring the cutter wheel 52 into and out of cutting engagement with the work held by the jaws in the carriages 18.

When the cutter wheel is brought down to cutting position, the extension plates 63 of the housing enter the channel member 62 providing a complete closure about the cutter wheel and the work with the exception of an opening 65 at the rear of the housing and also the opening at the rear of the channel member above. referred to. After the housing has thus been moved to' closed position, the cutter engages the work and may be carried down into and through the work without further movement of the housing, because of the lost motion pro-- vided for between the cutter carriage and the housing.

When the housing is in the operative position shown in Fig. 3, the opening 65 registers with a vent pipe 66 which connects with an intake tube 67 and an exhaust fan 68. ported on brackets 69 secured to the bed plate 15. The driving shaft of the fan is journaled in brackets 70 and keyed upon this driving shaft is a driving pulley 71 driven by a belt 72 from any suitable source of power.

The machine is adapted to operate on a wide variety of materials but I have chosen for illustration a casing or tubing formed of stranded wire. The construction of the tubing is clearly illustrated in Fig. 10 and it will be seen that it 1 comprises two layers 75 formed of longitudinal wire members wound with a flat spiral pitch, the pitch of one layer being reversed with respect to that of the other layer. These layers are sup-' ported by an inner coil of wire 76 and an outer coil 77. The latter is very loosely wound, or, in other words, the individual turns are widely spaced apart. Obviously, a structure of this type must have the ends thereof bound so as to hold the elements of the structure in proper relation to one another. As shown in Fig. 10, this binding of the end of the structure comprises a bushing 78 which is diametrically split to form two semi-cylindrical parts and which also is spirally corrugated so as to fit over and The The latter is supbetween the coils of the winding '77.

Over the bushing is fitted a ferrule'79 and after the parts have-been assembled, asshown in Fig. 10, the ferrule is preferably swedged upon the bushing and the casing so as to form a fixed part of the structure.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The casing or tubing comes in a continuous run either from a machine on which the tubing formed or from a reel mounted in suitable relation to the-machine. Normally, the cutter car riage is held in raised position by the counterweight 43. Thus the housing 60 is lifted clear of the jaw carriages so that the tubing may be introduced in the carriages 18, resting in the notches 27. The end of the run of tubing is ing is now drawn through the machine until said ferruled end bears against a stop member 80 mounted on the bracket 16. This stop member is adjustable on a rail 82 for gaging casing sectionsof different length. The jaw carriages are now moved inward against the channel member 62 by admitting air through the pipe 24. A split bushing i8 fitted over the run of tubing and is secured between the inner jaws 28, the latter being operated to clamp the bushing by means of the handles 31. The handles 33 are also operated to cause the outer jaws 29 of each carriage to clamp the Work just beyond the bushing 78. With the parts in this position, the cutter carriage is now drawn downward, bringing the housing 60 into closed position with the extensions 63 fitting into the channel member 62 and forming a complete closure about the cutter Wheel 52 and the work. Thereupon further depression of the cutter carriage will cause the cutter to feed into the bushing and saw through the bushing and the casing, as indicated in Fig. '7. The bushing is of double the length desired, so that after it has been out there willbe a requisite length thereof on each severed end of the casing and the stranded members of the casing will be clamped against displacement by the jaws 28 acting through the bushing sections. The next operation is to introduce air under pressure through pipe 25 to spread the jaw carriages apart to the position shown in Fig. 8. At the same time, the operator releases the handle 64, permitting the cutter carriage to rise clear of the work. A double length ferrule '79 is now introduced between the severed ends of the tubing, as shown in Fig. 8. This ferrule is or" such dimensions as to provide a close fit over the bushing sections 78 and at each end the ferrule is flared so as to permit of ready introduction of the bushed ends therein. The next operation is to introduce air through the tube 24 so as to force the bushed ends of the tubing into the ferrule, as indicated in Fig. 9, and after said ends have been partly introduced into the ferrule the inner jaws 28 are withdrawn by operating the handles 31, so that they will clear the ferrule and permit the parts to assume the position shown in Fig. 9. The operator then again draws down the cutter carriage making a cut through the ferrule in line with the previous cut through the bushing, which completes the operation of applying a ferrule to each severed end of the casing. During each cutting operation particles of metal which are thrown off by the cutter will be exhausted by the fan 68 and there will be no possibility of injury to the operator because of the complete housing of the cutter wheel and thework. Thus,- at' each operation of themachine, a ferrule is applied to the rear-end of a section 'oftubing which has just been cut off and to the forward end iof the stock from which the next section is to be cut off.

While I have described an embodiment of my invention, it willbe understood that my invention is not limited to this specific construction and that I reserve the right to make such changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts as fall withinthe spirit and scope of the claims. It will be understood also that the machine may operate not only on tubular stranded structures, but also on solid stranded structures or any class of work in which it is desired to preserve the integrity of the structure at terminal points thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a machine of the character described a pair of carriages adapted to support a piece of work, a guideway alongwhich the carriages adapted to slide, a pair ofclamping jaws on each carriage, means for moving the jaws into and out of clamping engagement with the work, a common operating means for effecting interdependent movement of the carriages toward and from each other, a rotary cutter, and means for moving the rotary cutter transversely between the carriages to sever the work.

2. In a machine of the character described, a pair of carriages, guide rails on which the carriages are mounted to slide, means for sliding the carriages toward and from each other, -l

two pairs of opposed clamping jaws on each carriage, means for moving the jaws into and out of clamping engagement with the work in a direction transverse to said rails, a rotary cutter, means normally holding the same in inoperative position, means for moving the cutter between the carriages to sever the work held by said jaws, a housing comprising a fixed portion partly surrounding the work between the carriages and a movable portion partly surrounding the cutter and carried thereby with a lost motion, whereby the movable portion will be moved into engagement with fixed portion when the cutter is brought into engagement with the work, and exhaust means connected with the housing.

3. In a machine of the character described, a pair of carriages adapted to support a piece of work, an expanding and contracting motor adapted by expansion and contraction thereof to move the carriages simultaneously toward and from an intermediate transverse plane, a rotary cutter, and means for moving the cutter in said plane to sever the work.

4. In a machine of the character described, a pair of carriages adapted to support a piece of work, operating means for moving the carriages toward and from an intermediate transverse plane, said means being adapted to move each carriage by reaction against the other, a rotary cutter, means for moving the cutter in said plane to sever the work, and means for limiting mutual approach of the carriages.

5. In a machine of the character described, a pair of supports for a piece of work, two pairs of opposed clamping jaws disposed side by side in each support and adapted to clamp the work in different transverse planes, separate means for moving each pair of jaws into or out of clamping engagement with the work, a rotary ill cutter, and means for moving the cutter transversely between the supports to sever the work. 6. In a machine of the character described, a

I pair of carriages adapted to support a piece of work, two pairs of opposed clamping jaws disposed side by side in each carriage and adapted to clamp the work in different transverse planes, separate means for moving each pair of jaws into or out of clamping engagement with the work, a rotary cutter, means for moving the cutter transversely between the carriages to sever the work, and means for moving one of the carriages toward or from the other.

7. In a machine of the character described, a pair of carriages adapted to support a piece of work, two pairs of opposed clamping jaws disposed side by side in each carriage and adapted to clamp the work in different transverse planes, separate means for moving each pair of jaws into or out of clamping engagement with the work, a rotary cutter, means for moving the cutter in a transverse plane between the carriages to sever the work, and a common operating means for moving the carriages simultaneously toward or from said plane.

8. In a machine of the character described, a pair of supports for a cylindrical piece of work, two pairs of opposed clamping jaws disposed side by side in each support and adapted to clamp the work in difierent transverse planes, the opposed jaws of each pair having re-entrant arcuate gripping faces, the arcuate faces of the inner or adjacent jaws of the two supports being of greater radius than those of the outer jaws, separate means for moving each pair of jaws into or out of clamping engagement with the work, a rotary cutter, and means for moving the cutter transversely between the supports to sever the work.

9. In a machine of the character described, a pair of carriages adapted to support a cylindrical piece of work, two pairs of opposed clamping jaws disposed side by side in each carriage and adapted to clamp the work in difierent transverse planes, the opposed jaws of each pair having re-entrant arcuate gripping faces, the arcuate faces of the inner or adjacent jaws of the two supports being of greater radius than those of the outer jaws, separate means for moving each pair of jaws into or out of clamping engagement with the work, a rotary cutter, means for moving the cutter in a transverse plane between the carriages to sever the work, and common operating means for moving the carriages simultaneously toward or from each other.

10. In a machine of the character described, a pair of supports for a piece of work, a rotary cutter, means normally holding the same in inoperative position, means for moving the cutter between the supports to sever the work, a housing comprising a fixed portion partly surrounding the work between the supports and a movable portion partly surrounding the cutter and carried thereby with a lost motion, whereby the movable portion will be moved into engagement with the fixed portion when the cutter is brought into engagement with the work, and exhaust means connected with the housing.

GORMAN C. BURD. 

